NY Laser Cat Photo Teen Kills Self

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — An upstate New York teen — who had a burst of fame last fall over his senior portrait depicting him, his cat and lasers — has died.

Draven Rodriguez’s parents tell the Times-Union of Albany their son committed suicide Feb. 19 at their Schenectady home. He was 17.

Rodriguez had wanted his senior yearbook portrait to show him holding his cat Mr. Bigglesworth, with lasers in the background. He posted the photo online, and it went viral.

The school denied his request but said the photo could appear somewhere in the Schenectady High School yearbook.

Principal Diane Wilkinson got in on the act and posed similarly with her Chihuahua. The portraits were to appear on the principal’s yearbook page to raise awareness for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and rescue animals.